Handling and blending slivers



, April 1968 M. M. BRYAN, JR 3,375,556

HANDLING AND BLENDING' SLIVERS Filed Febv 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CARD DRAW/N6 CA F? D C O/LEn SERVICE (RE EL R0 V/NG TRUCK F RA M E INVENTUP Morris M Bf azzff BY: flww7 ATTORNEYS A ril 2, .1968

M. M. BRYAN, JR

HANDLING'AND BLENDING SLIVERS Filed Feb. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR Morris M BrZaflJ ATTORNEYS 3,375,556 HANDLING AND BLENDING SLIVERS Morris M. Bryan, Jr., Jefferson, Ga., assignor to The Jefferson Mills, Inc., Jefferson, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed Feb. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 526,413 2 Claims. (Cl. 19-157) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE What is disclosed herein is a card service truck for receiving a plurality of drums containing coiled sliver from a coiler or the like and for transporting the drums to a drafting frame or the like to which the sliver in each drum is fed through a guide tube while the drums remain in position on the truck. A guide tube is mounted on a cantilever guide bar over each of the plurality of drum positions and the guide bar extends above the drum positions from that end of the card service truck opposite to the drum receiving end at which drums are received from the coiler. A plurality of rollers serve to provide slideable motion of drums from the drum receiving end of the truck into the plurality of drum positions.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for producing yarns. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements in the method and apparatus of handling and blending slivers in the production of yarns.

Generally, the first step in yarn production involves subjecting the raw fibers, usually received in bale form, to several operations wherein the fibers are loosened, separated, cleaned and blended into a uniform mixture. These operations are referred to as opening, picking and carding and are accomplished by some rather elaborate apparatus.

The fibers received from the carding operation are in the form of a sliver, i.e., a soft but compact, substantially untwisted, rope-like arrangement of fibers having a generally circular cross-section. The sliver is fed directly to a coiling machine from the carding machine wherein the sliver is deposited in an orderly fashion into a cylindrical drum for transport to a drawing and roving frame. At the drawing and roving frame the sliver is first passed through a series of drawing rolls wherein it is normally drawn down to 1 to /8 its original size. Upon leaving the last drawing roll a very slight twist is imparted to the sliver thereby forming what is termed a roving. The roving thus formed is immediately wound upon a bobbin.

The final processing in the production of yarns is the spinning operation. This involves giving the roving a final draft or drawing followed by substantial twisting to form the yarn. The degree of draft and twist imparted to the roving will, of course, depend upon the ultimate intended use of the yarn.

The present invention relates to that portion of the procedure in producing yarns beginning with the receipt of the sliver from the coiler until the sliver is fed to the drawing rolls of the drawing and roving frame.

Briefly, the present invention includes a novel card service truck which is adapted to receive one or more cylindrical transport drums from the coiler after the drums have been filled with a quantity of sliver from the carding machine. Upon receipt of the transport drums the truck is removed from the coiler and placed in position near the drawing and roving frame whereupon it serves as a creel for supplying the sliver to the drawing and roving frame. The creel functions of the novel card service truck is made possible by providing the truck with novel means by separately guiding the slivers during their withdrawal from each of the transport drums and feeding to the drawing and roving frame.

3,375,556 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 ice The various features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon considering the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic fiow sheet illustrating the sequence of processing and handling the sliver from the carding machine to the drawing and roving frame.

FIG. 2 is a top view generally illustrating the novel card service truck of the present invention in position for receiving a transport drum when it is ejected from the adjacent coiler.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the novel card service truck of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of one of the guide tubes positioned on the guide bar of the card service truck.

FIG. 5 is a partial side view showing the manner in which the novel card service truck of the present invention is positioned adjacent the base of the coiler for receipt of a transport drum.

FIG. 6 is a top schematic view illustrating the manner in which the card service trucks may be arranged together to form a creel to supply the slivers to the drawing and roving frame.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the novel condensing trumpet of the present invention whereby separate slivers may be combined into a single sliver.

According to the present invention, and with reference to FIG. 1, a sliver is initially formed by the card and immediately directed to the coiler which deposits it in an orderly array in a transport drum. As each transport drum hecomes filled with the sliver it is ejected from the coiler and loaded onto the novel card service truck which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. This truck may accommodate one or more transport drums in one or more drum positions as desired, however, upon attaining the desired load the card service truck is removed from the vicinity of the coiler and repositioned adjacent the drawing and roving frame to serve as a creel. The size of the creel, of course, is variable depending upon the size of each card service truck and the number of trucks moved into position. The slivers are separately withdrawn from their corresponding transport drums and directed to the drawing and roving frame by way of a novel guide arrangement mounted on each card service truck. On the drawing and roving frame, a plurality of condensing trumpets, to be described later, may be provided whereupon separate slivers received from the creel may be combined into a single sliver. In this manner, rovings may be conveniently formed which combine the properties and characteristics of the individual slivers as received from the card.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a sliver 1 being received by the coiler 3 from a carding machine 2. Both the coiler and the carding machine are of conventional design and operation well known to those skilled in the art. The

coiler deposits the sliver into a transport drum which is located directly below the coiler head in FIG. 2 and therefore cannot be seen. The deposition of the sliver is in the usual orderly manner for which conventional coilers are designed thereby allowing the sliver to be withdrawn from the drum without becoming entangled within itself.

The novel card service truck 19 of the present invention is positioned adjacent the base of the coiler in such a manner as to receive the transport drums after they have been filled with sliver and are ejected from the coiler. As shown in FIG. 2, the card service truck has already received one filled transport drum 5 which is positioned to the rear of the truck. The precise manner in which the card service trucks receive the transport drums 5 will be described later in connection with FIG. 5.

The card service truck 10 is shown in detail in FIG. 3

and comprises a generally rectangular base 11 mounted on a plurality of wheels to provide a movable supporting means and having a pair of parallel spaced apart side rails 12 extending upward from those edges of the base which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the truck. The rectangular base may be either a framework or continuous plate providing a floor for the truck. Extending between the side rails 12 are a plurality of freely rotating rollers 13. Suflicient rollers should be provided so that the spacing between adjacent rollers is such that a motion means is formed on which a transport drum may conveniently be rolled. At the rear edge of the rectangular base 11, also extending upward, is an end plate 14 which serves primarily as a rear stop for the transport drums carried by the truck.

The vertical supporting leg 15 of a horizontal guide bar 16 is fixedly secured in a known manner to the end plate 14 and in a position substantially mid-way between the side rails 12. The horizontal guide bar 16 extends in cantilever fashion from the upper end of the supporting leg toward the front or drum receiving end of the truck in parallel relationship with the side rails 12. The supporting leg 15 extends upward from that end of the truck opposite the front or drum receiving end to a sufiicient height so as to allow the transport drums 5, one of which is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5, to pass beneath the guide bar. Preferably, several inches of clearance are allowed between the tops of the drums and the guide bar.

Since the guide bar 16 extends in a cantilevered manner over the base 11 additional arch supports 17 are provided at'convenient positions along the length of the guide bar. The legs of these arch supports are fixedly secured in a known manner to the opposite side rails 12. The arch supports may conform to any curvilinear configuration provided they do not interfere with the movement of the transport drums on the truck. While two such arch supports are illustrated it should be understood that one or more may be employed within the concepts of this invention.

Mounted along the guide bar 16 in spaced apart positions are several guide tubes 18 which serve as a guiding means through which the individual slivers pass upon being withdrawn from the transport drums and directed to the drawing and roving frame when the truck is assembled in a creel formation. The relative positioning of the guide tubes on the guide bar will vary depending upon the number and size of the transport drums which are to be carried by the card service truck. It is contemplated that there be provided one guide tube for each transport drum and that the guide tube be substantially centrally located over its corresponding drum. The card service truck shown in FIG. 3 will accommodate four transport drums and therefore there are provided four corresponding guide tubes 18 on the guide bar.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide tubes 18 form substantially right angles so as to provide the slivers with the necessary change in direction as they are withdrawn from the transport drums and fed to the drawing and roving frame. The diameter of the tubes is preferably such that the tubes may accommodate various sizes of slivers. Both the entrance opening 19 and the exit opening 20 are slightly flared so as to prevent snagging and breaking of the slivers as they pass therethrough. Generally, metallic guide tubes are employed but it is also possible and sometimes preferred to employ plastic tubes from such materials as polyamides, fluoro-hydrocarbon polymers, or polyolefins. These plastic materials display exceedingly low coefficients of friction and therefore reduce the possibility of damage to the slivers.

The guide tubes 18 are mounted on the guide bar so that their axes or passages extend in a lateral direction with respect to the card service truck. This arrangement is provided so that the slivers from the respective drums on the truck will not pass over one another as they are withdrawn from the transport drums in substantially vertical paths and are fed to the drawing and roving frame in substantially horizontal paths extending transverse to the guide bar.

The guide tubes may be affixed to the guide bar in spaced relation by means of welding, soldering, bolts, or

clamps. When using bolts or clamps an additional advantage is obtained in that the guide tubes may be easily adjusted for optimum positioning.

During operation, the front or drum receiving end of the card ser-vice truck is positioned adjacent the coiler base 4 as shown in partialsection in FIG. 5 forreceiving the transport drums from the coiler. The drums are supported on the coiler base 4 at a higher level than that at which the rollers 13 support the drums after receipt from the coiler. As a result the drums are easily ejected from the base onto the front of the card service truck. Since the supporting surface of the card service truck is lower than that of the coiler base the leading edge of the drum will tilt downward and come into contact with the rollers 13 of the truck. Further movement places the entire transport, drum on the rollers whereafter it may be moved over the rollers to an appropriate position be neath one of the guide tubes 18. When the desired number of transport drums has been received and positioned the card service truck is moved to the drawing and roving frame.

At the drawing and roving frame several card service trucks are assembled to form a creel 25 as shown in FIG. 6. Each truck is positioned so as to present its long axis parallel to the long axis of the drawing and roving frame 26. Depending upon the number of slivers neces-.

sary to feed the frame 26 the trucks may be accordingly arranged in longitudinal alignment as well as in depth alignment. This is particularly illustrated by the arrangement of the individual trucks in FIG. 6. While no problems are encountered in directing the separate slivers to the drawing and roving frame from trucks adjacent the frame it may be necessary to offset the guide tubes of trucks further removed from the frame so that the slivers will remain separated fromthe slivers of trucks closer to the frame.

The present invention also provides for different types of slivers to be combined into a single composite sliver at the drawing and roving frame 26 as will be explained hereinafter. Differences in slivers may involve differences in the length of the individual fibers, i.e., long staple .vs. short staple, or it may involve totally different fibers, i.e., wool vs. cotton, or synthetics.

The transport drums on the respective depth aligned card service trucks 10 and 10 may contain different types of slivers. When these trucks are aligned in depth the drums 6', 7, 8' and 9'-of truck 10' become similarly aligned with corresponding drums 6, 7, 8 and 9 of truck 10. By slightly off-setting the respective guide tubes of the trucks the slivers may be withdrawn separately but in groups of two, i.e., the slivers from drums 6 and 6" as one group, the slivers from drums 7 and 7 as another group, etc. Therefore, each group will contain one sliver of each type.

On the drawing and roving frame there is provided a plurality of double condensing trumpets 27 which receive the groups of slivers, one group for each trumpet. The slivers of each group are separately received at the entrance end of each trumpet and then combined by the condensing action of the trumpet into a single composite sliver which is directed to the drawing rolls 30 and 31.

The double condensing trumpet 27 is shown in further detail in FIG. 7. On the entrance side of the trumpet there are provided two separate passages 28 and 28' for receiving the separate slivers contained within each group. After a short distance these passages merge into a single passage 29 at the exit side of the trumpet. As is apparent, the trumpet functions to force or condense the two separate slivers into a single composite sliver.

The single composite slivers thereby represent the combined properties and characteristics of the two different types of slivers received from the individual card service trucks. These composite slivers are subjected to a conventional drawing operation by the drawing rolls 30 and 31 followed by formation of the roving and winding upon a bobbin 32. These operations are well known in the art, therefore they need no further description.

While the condensing trumpet is shown and described as being capable of accommodating two separate slivers for combination into a single sliver it is also conceivable that more than two may be provided for by having additional entrance passages in the trumpet. Of course, the ultimate size of the combined sliver may dictate the practical limits of this concept.

Thus, having fully described the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore, the present invention is to be limited only as described in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for transporting sliver coiled in drums by a coiler; movable supporting means for supporting a drum in each of a plurality of adjacent drum positions, said supporting means being selectively positionable in a position to receive at a receiving end of said supporting means each of a plurality of drums from a coiler and having motion means for providing slideable motion of a drum from said receiving end into a drum position; a cantilever guide bar extending above said drum positions toward said receiving end from a vertical leg mounted at an end of said supporting means opposite said receiving end; a plurality of arch supports mounted on said supporting means, said arch supports being shaped to engage and support said guide bar and to provide for motion of a drum along said motion means beneath said arch supports and said guide bar; and a plurality of guiding means movable with said supporting means and mounted in spaced relation along the length of said guide bar above said drum positions, each guiding means being for guiding a sliver between a substantially vertical path extending into a drum in a drum position and a substantially horizontal path extending transverse to said guide bar.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said motion means is a plurality of parallel rollers rotatably positioned below said guide bar with their axes of rotation transverse to said guide bar.

UNITED STATES PATENTS References Cited 389,133 9/1888 Bates 19-157 1,117,721 11/1914 Straw 19-157 1,854,690 4/1932 Casablancas l9150 2,527,700 10/1950 Bryant 242131.1 3,249,968 5/1966 Whitehurst 19159 ROBERT R. MACKEY, Acting Primary Examiner. D. NEWTON, Examiner. 

